Life’s Simple

ifferent bodies respond differently to differentphysical activity regimens. In a study presentedat the American Heart Association’s ScientificResearchers found that three months of high-intensityexercise in 10-minute bursts done three times per day, fivedays a week, led to an average 0.82 percent decrease inthree-month blood sugar patterns. This compared with just0.25 percent reduction among those who performed moresustained, lower-intensity exercise, also for five days a week.

Exercise helps improve cholesterol and weight as well as
manage Type 2 diabetes — all risk factors for heart disease.
In the past, diabetes management programs have focused
mostly on low-intensity, sustained exercise.

The study was conducted in 76 patients with Type 2
diabetes (70 percent male, average age 67) who were
recruited for the study shortly after their diagnosis. Patients
were randomly assigned to either 30 minutes of exercise five
days a week at 65 percent of their target heart rate or 10
minutes of exercise three times a day, five days a week at 85

percent of their target heart rate.Burst exercise patients actually ended up exercising more,and overall, experienced a 2.3-fold greater improvement inHbA1c levels (a way of measuring blood sugar). In addition,they had a three-fold reduction in body mass index. Burstexercise patients also showed greater improvements in theircholesterol levels and stronger cardiac fitness, as measuredby stress testing.Researchers said it’s unclear why shorter bursts ofhigh-intensity exercise would lead to more significantimprovements compared with sustained, lower-intensityexercise. One theory is that higher intensity exercise usesenergy in a different way.

“We are hoping to continue looking at burst exercise
and sustained exercise in larger and more diverse patient
populations,” said lead study author Avinash Pandey, an
undergraduate at the University of Western Ontario in London,
Ontario, Canada. “With further study, burst exercise may
become a viable alternative to the current standard of care of
low-intensity, sustained exercise for diabetes rehabilitation.”